“The roots are here, see? The dead ones.”

  “We get rid of them, right?” She reaches out.

  “No, just dig around them. If you try to pull them out they just break and then they get shorter and you lose them in the dirt.”

  “Why are there so many?”

  “Plants need a lot of roots. They’re all really small! And the plants need a lot of nutrients and a lot of reach so they can get to those nutrients.”

  “What kind are these?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t used this area for a while. The poor plants have been neglected.”

  Lonnie’s face is scrunched up in determination and focus as Riel’s eyes travel over it. His hair falls from behind his ears, looking absolutely fluffy and soft and Riel really wants to tuck it back behind his ear but no, that would be weird. She huffs slightly and her eyes travel down the length of Lonnie’s neck and shoulders, down to where his sturdy hands work through the dirt. He isn’t wearing gloves. He never does. And then he cries if he gets pricked by a thorn. What a nerd.

  Things are peaceful here, in the fading light of evening in the Underground. The courtyard garden is slowly growing, more and more green filling the space every day. Riel looks around proudly. Watching the flowers grow makes her feel as though something dark and hard within her is healing.

  “Here, put these in the bucket.”

  “Okay.” Riel is startled out of her daze and accepts the pile of roots from Lonnie’s hands. Their eyes meet and Lonnie gives her a soft, sweet smile before turning back to the ground. Riel is momentarily frozen, unable to stop a blush from spreading across her cheeks. She jerks away before Lonnie can notice.

  “Are you okay?”

  Oops. Did he notice?

  “Yes! Fine, just fine. Bucket, heh, where’s the bucket?”

  “Right in front of you.”

  “Yes, of course!” She drops the roots inside as she speaks. “How silly… not like it was hiding or anything, I mean, buckets can’t hide—”

  Lonnie looks up at her. “Riel, why don’t you go find us some snacks?”

  “Good idea,” Riel says quickly, face burning. She practically runs out of the courtyard through the open front door of the house. She pauses just inside, breathing heavily and trying to calm her racing heart. Why does she have to get so damn weird around him anyways? Every time he so much as smiles, she can’t help but…

  And it happens again. Her chest grows warm, and a huge, silly grin bursts onto her face. She can barely stop herself from squealing and jumping all over the place like a child. After taking a few deep breaths, Riel becomes aware of a quiet conversation taking place nearby. The balcony doors are open.

  “I think now might not be a good time…”

  “There is no better time, is there?”

  A sigh. “I suppose not. I worry that it is too soon?”

  Riel is curious. Lonnie’s parents seem to be having a serious conversation. What are they talking about? She creeps closer to the sounds. Ethel, hair done up in thick, short braids, and the broad and modest Alaric. They are leaning against the railing of the west balcony. Behind them, the small cliff drops away from the house and allows a good view of the next town over. Lonnie and Riel like to hang their feet from it sometimes, even though Lonnie’s parents always tell them not to.

  “I think she is ready for this. I think we all are ready to make it official. Why not do it now?”

  Riel frowns at Alaric’s words. She tries to inch closer as the volume of the voices drop.

  “Where are they?”

  “I think they are in the courtyard now.”

  Ethel shakes her head. “Let’s wait. Just until tomorrow. We should plan some sort of occasion. A cake, maybe?” What are they talking about?

  A low chuckle comes from Alaric. “You make one nearly every week; it wouldn’t be much of an occasion.”

  “Shush. Cakes are very good. Now, we should go to the study if we are to make plans.” Hearing this, Riel ducks out of sight, but not out of earshot. “We can’t risk them overhearing if they are just in the courtyard.” Riel smirks. “And I need plenty of time to prepare. When we tell Riel that we are going to adopt her, everything has to be perfect.”

  For a moment, Riel believes that she can go on. That she can forget what she just heard, even as Ethel and Alaric’s voices fade and move away. That she can go back to Lonnie with some yummy snacks and enjoy the rest of her evening. The rest of her life. But then she unfreezes and her breath is coming in deep gasps now and why, why does this have to happen now - this isn’t a big deal you knew this might happen, come on, pull yourself together Riel, you’re so stupid, so pathetic, why are you freaking out so much over this? This should be a good thing. But her body is wracked with silent sobs, practiced to perfection from many sleepless nights in the same room as Lonnie, and all those times before and all that she knows is that she can’t let this happen. Because if she does…

  I can’t be Lonnie’s sister. I can’t. No, no no no no. If I’m his sister, then… Not like this. This isn’t right.

  Riel shudders, feeling out of control. All at once the overwhelming tide of emotions vanishes like a switch has been pressed. She feels cold and numb. She can’t let this happen.

  It’s time for a life-saving plan.

  Later that night, Riel rummages around the room she shares with Lonnie. She sets a rucksack on her bed, carefully filling it with things they might need. Money, clothes, snacks, water. She hesitates for a moment, but then she slides open Lonnie’s desk drawer. She pulls out the knife, straps the sheath under her clothes. She tiptoes towards the door, in case Lonnie is actually awake, and opens it, muffling the click with her sleeve. She watches Lonnie carefully and takes a deep breath. As she leaves the room, she makes sure to snag the rucksack on the old nail sticking out of the wall. As it does, Riel lets it slip from her shoulder and fall to the floor. The items spill out of it with a loud clatter.

  Lonnie moans and Riel freezes, waiting. He opens his eyes.

  “Riel? Are you okay?” he asks softly.

  “Go back to sleep, Lonnie, I’m fine,” Riel says. This is it. Riel has to be careful and make sure that Lonnie doesn’t figure out that this was planned.

  Lonnie sits up instead. “Where are you going? Are you thirsty? But… what’s that?”

  Riel follows Lonnie’s gaze to the floor, and takes a deep breath. Lonnie moves to get out of bed and she backs up a step.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “Riel? What’s going on?”

  “I’m leaving,” Riel says quietly.

  “What! Why?” Lonnie’s face is full of genuine distress and Riel winces, feeling terrible for deceiving him.

  “Because I want to. Go back to sleep.”

  “No!” Lonnie struggles to get out of bed, as he’s tangled in his sheets.. “We can talk this out, we can… there must be some reason -”

  Riel squeezes her eyes shut. She knows Lonnie, she knows exactly what to say. But the guilt is twisting at her heart. “Lonnie, I just want to go away. I want to take a break from living here. I want to go somewhere else for a while.”

  She can’t see his face fall, but the catch in his breath breaks her heart just the same.

  “Is it because you don’t like us?” Lonnie asks quietly.

  “No!” It comes out stronger than Riel meant it to. “It’s personal. It has nothing to do with you.” Well if that wasn’t the biggest lie ever told. It has everything to do with Lonnie.

  “I can’t convince you to stay?”

  “No.”

  “Okay.”

  Riel opens her eyes, surprised. Lonnie is rummaging through his dresser. The light from the open doorway falls on him, outlining him like some sort of angel. He looks kind of beautiful.

  “What are you doing?” Riel asks.

  Lonnie unbuttons his pajama shirt and Riel looks down, blushing furiously. She hears the rustling of fabric as he replies. “I’m coming with you. Want to grab me some extra clothes?”

  Riel is flooded with relief and guilt. Her plan has worked. She isn’t sure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

  Riel tentatively steps back into the room. Lonnie is wearing a shirt now, and is pulling on an olive vest. Despite everything, Riel smiles. Lonnie is wearing the shirt that matches her own.

  Lonnie helps her shove the things back in the rucksack, and adds more for himself. They stuff their beds with pillows in case Lonnie’s parents check on them in the night. Then after filling Riel’s canteen with fresh water, they’re sneaking out through the courtyard, sneaking behind some pricking rosebushes, and squeezing through the hole they’ve dug under the fence. Lonnie gets stuck badly by a thorn, and starts to quietly cry. Riel hugs him until he calms down.

  Both of them are more tired than Riel expected. She barely registers anything about the forest around them, only checking every once in a while to make sure they are on the right track. Lonnie holds her hand so that they don’t lose each other in the darkness.

  “Riel, what’s that,” Lonnie asks sleepily.

  Riel peers ahead. The fork in the path is a few yards away, where you can split off in the direction of either Whitegrass or Finlow. There’s a little girl, maybe six or seven, sitting on a mossy log. She’s crying.

  “What is she doing out here, all alone?” Riel murmurs. She feels nausea curling through her gut and a coldness on the back of her neck.

  “We gotta help her,” Lonnie says. Riel frowns. She looks at the girl, then looks away, trying not to see her.

  “She’s fine. We have to take care of ourselves.”

  Lonnie frowns back, and Riel knows she’s said something wrong. “We can’t just leave her all alone,” Lonnie says.

  Lonnie walks over to the little girl. Riel lags behind, unsure of what to do. She shuffles her feet as Lonnie introduces himself.

  “Hello, I’m Lonnie. Are you okay?”

  The girl shakes her head, dark curls bouncing back and forth. Blinking, Riel looks around and realizes that it is becoming easier to see; the air is lightening. It must be near morning. The light doesn’t get as bright as it did when… before, but Riel has learned to be able to tell the difference after a few months living with Lonnie’s family.

  “Riel, come here. This is Riel. Do you need help? Will you tell us what’s wrong?”

  Riel takes a few steps forward, and the girl looks at her with huge, hazel eyes. They’re adorable.

  “I’m Serra. I was walking with Basia and Fio but then I got lost and I fell asleep and I woke up and then I couldn’t find them and I didn’t know where I was. So I’m still here.”

  Riel crouches down, resting her elbows on her knees to help her balance. “So where are you from?” she asks awkwardly.

  “Whitegrass.”

  Lonnie glances at Riel in surprise. “That’s not too far away. We can take you.”

  “Lonnie!” Riel whispers. Why is he volunteering them? This wasn’t the original plan!

  “Do you have anywhere better to go?” Lonnie asks, but not maliciously. Riel blushes and looks down, scowling. Sure, Lonnie may be right, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to admit it.

  “Come on,” Lonnie says. He offers his hand out to the kid. She only has one arm—the missing one ends just below the shoulder—so she takes Lonnie’s hand with the one she has.

  “Hi,” the kid says, smiling up at Riel. Riel jumps. They’ve ended up walking next to each other.

  “Um, hi,” Riel says. She looks away.

  “You know, you’re really handsome,” the kid giggles. Riel’s eyes widen and she turns to look at Lonnie. He won’t meet her eyes, a hand covering his mouth to hold back laughter.

  “Um… thanks?” Riel squeaks.

  “Wanna go on a date with me?” She asks. “After I get home, of course.”

  Riel has to actively concentrate to avoid stumbling in surprise. “Um… sorry, but… I just met you, and, um… I’m not actually a boy…”

  The kid thinks about this for a second, then shrugs. “Basia and Fio are both girls and they go on dates.”

  Shoot. What is Riel supposed to say now? “Um, well… I kind of… made a previous commitment?”

  Lonnie bursts out laughing. “Wait, you have a date?”

  Riel’s face must be on fire. “No! I meant - I meant I’m already going somewhere with you!”

  “Ohhh,” Lonnie giggles. Riel watches his face longer than is strictly necessary.

  The kid… Serra, doesn’t seem phased by Riel’s response at all, and starts talking about frogs.

  Then Riel spots some homes in between the trees, and before she knows it, they’re in Whitegrass. Serra’s chatter has carried them into the morning.

  Some people are already up, bartering with their neighbors for extra firewood or fresh bread. The homes here are more modest than in Nook, low to the ground and painted in pale colors. The grass is white and patchy, and the bushes that are common in this area are dry and the kind of green that almost looks blue. Riel spots a small bird hopping around, a rare sight.

  Serra pulls ahead, still holding Lonnie’s hand, and Riel looks where she’s looking. A plump woman and another taller one are going from home to home, worried looks on their faces.

  “Are they Basia and Fio?” Lonnie asks. Riel’s surprised he remembers the names, but Serra nods.

  The tall one notices them. “Serra, you ruffian!” She shouts, and barrels down the road towards them. The other one isn’t too far behind. Riel moves fast and pulls Lonnie away from Serra's hand before the woman lifts the girl off the ground and spins her around, hugging her tight.

  “Thanks,” Lonnie smiles. Riel blushes and steps away.

  “Where have you been?” The shorter one fusses. Her hair is dark, like Serra’s, but longer, and held in tight matted locs. Fio stops spinning and adjusts Serra to rest on her hip.

  “I got lost,” Serra says proudly. “And I met a super cute girl.”

  “Hello, I'm Lonnie,” Lonnie says. “This is Riel, the cute girl.” Riel scowls and elbows Lonnie, all fuzzy feelings lost. Her face burns.

  The tall woman laughs loudly. “Nice to meet you kids. I'm Fio, and this is my gorgeous honeybun Basia.” She side hugs Basia, grinning proudly. “And that hooligan’s her little sister.”

  “We found Serra in the woods and brought her here.”

  “Y-you were in the woods?” The shorter woman asks.

  Fio shakes her head. “Sorry that she caused you the trouble.”

  “It wasn't any trouble! She's so precious!” Lonnie says, smiling widely. Serra preens. Basia smiles wearily. Fio beams and lets out another boisterous laugh.

  Serra reaches for the ground and Fio lets her go. She runs up to Riel, tugs her down by the collar, and kisses her cheek. She runs away giggling and Riel falls backwards, blushing furiously. Fio and Lonnie both laugh, but Riel scowls. She doesn’t like being teased, it makes her feel gross and embarrassed.

  “She probably shouldn’t have done that, I’ll talk to her about it later,” Fio promises, surprisingly gentle.

  “We should probably head back home, Serra’s going to need sleep after a long night,” Basia says quietly, looking up at Fio. “Sorry to be so rude—”

  “Don’t worry about it!” Lonnie says brightly. “We should probably find somewhere to sleep as well. Don't you think, Riel?”

  Riel nods and picks herself up from the ground, brushing off her clothes.

  Lonnie waves goodbye to the three and Riel watches them go, hands in her pockets.

  Lonnie turns back to her. He gently pulls her hands out and holds them. “Are you doing alright?”

  “Fine,” Riel mutters.

  “Why didn’t you want to help Serra?”

  Riel hesitates. Serra reminds her of… She hasn’t even told Lonnie about this part of before, and she’s told Lonnie everything.

  Riel shrugs and, heart pounding, reaches forward to tug gently on the two longer locks of hair Lonnie has. She tries not to freak out about his pretty eyes or his adorable nose. She gives him a small smile. “Bet I can find a place for us before you can,” she dares. After a moment, Lonnie accepts that the conversation is over, for now. Lonnie beams, and the race is on.